Single mothers often struggle to pay the costs of food, clothing, housing, and other necessities for their kids. Getting a college degree may make it easier for you to provide for your family and yourself, but college is expensive. If you are a single mother who is considering going to college to earn more money for your family, then you will want to apply for education grants to help cover the costs of your education. If college doesn't fit into your schedule or budget at this time, there are other grants and financial assistance that can help you meet your financial needs. Keep reading to learn more about how to apply for grants for single mothers.

Steps

Part 1

Applying for Housing or Emergency Assistance

1

Get help with daycare expenses. You may qualify for your state's Child Care Assistance Program, which helps pay for child care while you are working, searching for a job, or attending school.[1]

Generally, CCAPs provide subsidies to cover part of your childcare expenses if you have children under the age of 13. Since each state has its own application process and eligibility guidelines, you should check with your local social services or child protective services office.[2]

You may also qualify for Head Start or Early Head Start assistance. These federal programs can provide early childhood education, food, and health and dental care for children from birth through age five. In some cases, pregnant woman also may be eligible for Early Head Start benefits. You can begin the application process by calling 1-866-763-6481.[3]

2

Get help with overdue bills or credit cards. If you search online or visit your nearest social services or child services department, you can find many state and local resources that will help you cover your bills or get out of debt.[4]

Private companies such as Walmart award hundreds of thousands of dollars each year in grants to needy people, including single mothers. These grants all have different eligibility requirements and can be extremely difficult to get, but they're worth researching, particularly if you have a compelling story or have overcome a major hardship.[5]

Check state programs and local organizations. There are many state government departments and nonprofit organizations that exist to help people in need pay down debt and get their bills up to date.[6]

3

Find grants or assistance to lower your housing and utility payments. Federal programs including Section 8 and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) offer subsidies to help you pay your rent and utilities.

In most cases these programs are designed to help the neediest and most vulnerable families, but you may qualify for assistance if you have an extremely low income or if you have children under the age of five.[7]

LIHEAP offers one-time assistance only, but also offers other assistance including energy-related home repairs, and weatherization.

The Weatherization Assistance Program provides financial assistance to make repairs or improvements to your home that will reduce your utility bills such as adding insulation or sealing windows. You typically can qualify for this assistance if your income is less than 200 percent the federal poverty level.[8]

If you qualify for Section 8, you'll receive a voucher that covers up to 70 percent of your rent and utilities.[9]

4

Use Medicaid to help cover basic medical expenses. Under Obamacare, you qualify for Medicaid if your income is less than 138 percent of the poverty level. For a single person, this would mean you earn less than $16,000 a year. If you are a single mother with two children, you qualify if you earn less than $37,300 a year.[10]

If you earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid, you may be able to use your state's Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to get low-cost health insurance coverage for your children. CHIP is administered by each state, but you can call 1-877-543-7669 to learn more about your state's rules and find out if your children qualify.[11]

5

Determine if you or your children qualify for food or nutritional assistance. In addition to food stamps and other assistance programs of which you may already be aware, you may qualify for grants and subsidies to help reduce your food costs.[12]

If your children are in school, they may qualify for the National School Lunch Program, which provides free or reduced lunches if your income falls below 185 percent of the poverty level.[13]

TEFAP is an emergency food assistance program that provides help to low-income families directly and to other emergency food providers such as food banks and soup kitchens. The program is administered on a state level and may require prior enrollment in SNAP or other assistance programs such as TANF.[14]

WIC provides assistance for mothers with children less than five years old whose income falls at or below 185 percent of the poverty line. Women can receive assistance while pregnant and up to six weeks after birth. If you're breastfeeding, you can receive WIC benefits through your child's first birthday.[15]

SNAP, otherwise known as food stamps, may be available for you and your children if you have less than $2000 in countable resources and earn income less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level.[17]

6

Call 2-1-1 for additional assistance. The United Way operates the free and confidential 2-1-1 service, which hooks callers up with local resources to help them in almost any situation.

If you're having trouble making ends meet, 2-1-1 can point you to solutions to cover your housing, food, health, or other emergency needs.[18]

Part 2

Understanding Your Educational Grant Opportunities

1

Determine if you are eligible for a Pell grant. Pell grants are available to students who have not earned a bachelor’s or professional degree. The maximum award is $5,775 per academic year. You may be eligible for a full or partial Pell grant depending on your financial need, cost of attendance, enrollment status (full or part-time), and whether or not you plan to attend for a full academic year or just one semester.

Determine if you are eligible for a Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG). FSEOG is available to students who have not earned a bachelor’s degree, are eligible for Pell, and who apply early for financial aid using the FAFSA. FSEOG awards range from $100-$4,000. The amount awarded is based on your financial need.

Not all schools participate in this program, so you should check with schools you plan to attend to see if they offer FSEOG.

Determine if you are eligible for a TEACH grant. TEACH grants are available to students who plan to become teachers, study to teach in a high need field, agree to teach in a low-income community, and agree to serve for at least four years within the eight years after graduation. TEACH provides grants of up to $4,000 per academic year.

You must complete TEACH grant counseling and sign a special agreement to receive a TEACH grant. This document outlines what you need to do in order to meet the terms of the grant. Read it carefully before you sign.

Keep in mind that a TEACH grant may turn into a loan if you do not meet the terms of the grant.

Determine if you are eligible for the Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants. IASG is available to students who are not financially eligible for Pell, but who meet the other requirements to receive Pell. In addition, students are only available for IASG if their parent or guardian was a member of the U.S. armed forces and died as a result of military service performed in Iraq or Afghanistan after the events of 9/11 AND the student was under the age of 24 years or enrolled in college at least part-time at the time of your parent’s or guardian’s death. An IASG award cannot exceed the cost of attendance and it is equal to the amount that would have been awarded by a Pell grant, so you may receive up to $5,775 per academic year.

Determine if you are eligible for state grants. Educational grants are also available from your state. For example, in New York students may apply for a TAP grant, which is an income-based award given to residents of New York who attend college in New York state. TAP provides students with up to $5,665 per academic year.[23]

Determine if there are any local, talent-based, or specialty grants that you can apply for. In addition to federal and state grants, you may also have opportunities to apply for grants funded by companies and organizations in your area. Your employer may even offer a special grant to help its employees pay for college. Talk to a financial aid representative at your intended college to find out what other educational grant opportunities are available in your community.[24]

Part 3

Applying for Educational Grants Using the FAFSA

1

Apply to a degree program at a community college or public four year university. To get the most out of your grants, you should attend a cost effective school in your state. If the job you are seeking only requires an associate degree, then a two year community college would be your best bet. If you plan to earn a bachelor’s degree, you may even consider starting at a community college and then, transfer to a four year college after you have completed the prerequisites for your program.

Just make sure that you check with the institution you plan to transfer to about what courses will count towards a degree after you have transferred.[25]

2

Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, also known as the FAFSA. The FAFSA provides an easy way to check your eligibility for a variety of different types of student aid from grants to scholarships to loans and work-study opportunities. On average, the FAFSA only takes about 25 minutes to complete.[26]

Make sure that you know what college you plan to attend before you begin the FAFSA. You will need to include the college name in your FAFSA.

Have the information from your previous year’s taxes handy before you begin to apply for the FAFSA because you will need some of the information to complete the FAFSA.

Even if you think that you might not be qualified to receive these types of grants and other forms of student aid, you should still fill out the FAFSA to be sure.[27]

3

Pay attention to the deadlines for completing the FAFSA. Make sure that you complete your FAFSA before the deadline to make sure that you will have funds for the following school year. The application period is usually from mid-January through the end of June, but some programs have earlier deadlines so your best bet is to apply as early as possible.[28]

4

Ask for help if you have difficulty understanding any part of the FAFSA. The FAFSA is not too difficult to complete, but some of the questions might be a bit confusing. If you run into questions, your intended college’s financial aid department would be the best place to go for help with completing the FAFSA.

Part 4

Receiving Your Educational Grant Funds

1

Wait for your Student Aid Report, also known as a SAR. The SAR will not tell you how much aid you will receive, it will only provide an overview of your answers on the FAFSA. You will receive your SAR between three days and three weeks after you complete your FAFSA.

It is important to check the SAR to see if the information is accurate. If any of the information is incorrect, then you will need to submit a correction using the FAFSA website.[29]

2

Wait for your electronic or paper award letter. The school to which you have applied will receive your FAFSA information and use it to calculate how much aid you are eligible to receive. After they have determined the amount, you will receive an award letter that details the offer. You will then need to either accept or decline the offer by submitting an answer online or returning a paper form.[30]

3

Wait for your funds. Your funds will be distributed directly to the college that you will attend. After the funds have covered your basic expenses, you will receive any leftover amount in the form of an electronic deposit or a paper check. You will have the option to let the college know which form of distribution you prefer.[31]

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Tips

Keep in mind that some grants have special conditions that you must meet in order to keep the grant from turning into a loan. For example, the TEACH grant requires potential elementary and secondary school teachers to agree to teach in a high-need field, at low income schools for four years within the eight years after graduation.[32]

Warnings

Beware of scams! There are many websites that claim to be able to get you grants, but many of them ask you to pay a fee or try to get personal information out of you. Stick with the FAFSA to make sure that you do not fall victim to an internet scam.

Grants and loans are not the same thing. A grant does not have to be paid back as long as all of its conditions are met, but a loan will need to be paid back with interest.

It is wise to look for grants and apply for them as soon as possible. Never wait for the last minute because some grants are limited.

Most of these grants are intended to provide you with temporary assistance so that you can become self-sufficient. You should avoid relying on them exclusively for your daily expenses.